Goodbye and Good Love
by Ffeona 'sarcasm-is-my-drug
Summary: Jack returns three years and six months after 1.13 to discover there have been a few changes. He says goodbye. Ianto/Owen storyline; read and see, its hard to say how. no spoilers for anything really.


TITLE: Goodbye and Good Love

CHARACTERS: Ianto Jones, Jack Harkness, Gwen Cooper-Williams, Owen Harper

PAIRING: Ianto/Jack referred to, Ianto/Owen

WARNING/RATING: contains explicate slash, and swearing. 18

SPOILERS: AU from 1.13 End of Days, no spoilers for series two, spoilers for series one

DISCLAIMER: no, idiot

SUMMERY: Jack never returned to Cardiff he travelled with the Doctor but now he's saying goodbye and finding out things he never thought possible. Established relationship.

Jack had arrived back in Cardiff three years and six months after he had left. The Doctor, Rose, and Jack himself were tracking an alien who had landed here and now they needed help from Cardiff's best (Torchwood) to track it down and figure out its purpose. Jack had been the one to approach the team while Rose and The Doctor did something very clever which involved aliens and running.

Gwen was apprehensive, shared a smile and a hug with him but wasn't impressed, even less so when he told them he'd be gone in a few days. Tosh was absent from the group and Jack was too much of a coward to ask why - the high fatality rate of Torchwood employees was in the back of his mind. Ianto was... Ianto. As cool and efficient as ever, it was as if Jack's leaving hadn't affected him at all. It was Owen who seemed to radiate anger, resentment, pain, and generally most negative feelings towards Jack. Which Jack considered more than a little odd. Gwen sent him to the morgue and Ianto followed him a few minutes later with a cup of coffee and a plate of bourbon biscuits. He didn't reappear for another half an hour. That nigh Jack took it upon himself to visit Ianto. He needed to do 'this' properly this time, say goodbye.

A knocking disturbed Ianto Jones from the warmth of his bed and he rose softly and grabbed a shirt before opening the door to his flat.

"Jack." he greeted, without surprise. "What are you doing here?"

Jack looked sheepishly; the thought that Ianto might be asleep just hadn't crossed his mind. "I just wanted to talk to you, before I left."

"Again." Ianto said with a slight bitterness to his tone that was also full of tiredness with a hint of disappointment.

"This time I'm trying to do it properly. Will you let me?" Jack asked, laying the guilt on as if it had been Ianto's fault he hadn't said goodbye last time before running into the sunset with his Doctor - figuratively speaking that was. Ianto rolled his eyes and stepped into the hallway.

"Any chance we could go in?" Jack said hopefully gesturing to the inside of the flat. Ianto gave him an uncertain look.

"Only if we're quiet."

"Oh. Oh!" Jack said realizing that Ianto wasn't alone. He followed Ianto inside and they sat on his sofa in the living room, a seat apart from each other, with Ianto waiting for Jack to begin.

"Right. Well. How is everybody?" Jack asked almost desperately. Ianto smiled and it was the first and only open and genuine smile Jack had seen since meeting Ianto.

"Tosh is in Japan on her Honeymoon."

"Toshiko? Not Gwen? I though for sure Gwen would get hitched to Rhys. or Owen!" Jack laughed quietly and missed the flicker of hurt that flashed over Ianto's face.

"She and Rhys got married nearly three years ago, sir. I believe their anniversary is coming up soon, August the ninth. They even have a child. He's eighteen months old. They called him Jac Owain Williams. Owen helped Gwen through labor."

"And that didn't cause any problems?" Jack asked, secretly both pleased they'd named their child after him and totally daunted.

"No. Gwen and Owen have put it all in the past. It has been four years since they last slept together, sir."

Jack nodded absentmindedly. The passage of time had been far longer for him, over two hundred years.

"And Owen? What about Owen, still playing the field, is he?" Jack asked with a devilish smile but a glint in his eyes indicated he really did care.

"No, Owen?s much more? settled. He still can't use a dish washer and never says please but somehow I've managed not to shoot him." Ianto confessed dryly.

"That leaves me with you. How are you Ianto Jones?"

"Me?" Ianto seemed almost surprised by the question. "I'm fine Jack, really, I am." Ianto smiled again and Jack realized that maybe, just maybe, everything was alright.

Jack stood up to leave and Ianto stood up to escort him to the door. Before they reached it, Jack took a breath and turned around. "You know I really did-"

"I know Jack." Ianto cut him off, his voice full of warmth, no hate or resentment. "I know." Jack drew Ianto in and kissed him deeply.

"Goodbye, Jack." Ianto said.

"See you tomorrow." Jack grinned roguishly.

Ianto closed the door behind his unexpected visitor and leaned against it as he breathed out a deep sigh.

From the bedroom, Owen had heard everything.

TWTWTWTWTW

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The next day Jack arrived at the Hub early, but not early enough to beat Ianto or, much to Jack?s surprise, Owen who was already in his morgue, coffee cup in hand, and actual work in front of him.

"Owen, what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be sleeping 'it' off?" Jack teased.

Owen paused mid-sip seemingly unable to respond, then gulped down the rest of his coffee before speaking. "I needed some caffeine." He said turning back to his computer.

"Starbucks not good enough for you?" Jack asked with a raised eye brow.

"'S not open 24/7."

"And Ianto is?" Jack asked, silently apologizing to Ianto in his head when Owen froze, leading Jack to realize the (for once) unintentional sexual innuendo.

"You should know." Owen said under his breath.

Upon hearing this Jack frowned and left the grumpy doctor in peace only to run into Gwen.

"You're early. It's not even seven yet." Jack remarked.

"You trying being woken up every morning at four o'clock by a one and a half year old who laughs when you tell him to go back to sleep!" Gwen snapped.

Both of Jack's eyebrows shot up. "Wow, everyone?s in a bad mood today. Must be something in the coffee." Jack said.

"Coffee!" Gwen exclaimed in joyous relief as Ianto appeared with two mugs in his hands. "God Ianto, you look like shit." She said bluntly.

He smiled. "Thanks Gwen. That's because someone decided I should sleep on the sofa last night."

"Really? Who?s to blame this time?"

"Jack."

"Jack?" Gwen laughed. ?Why is it Jack's fault?"

Jack answered. ?I might have showed up past one am at the flat to talk to Ianto."

Gwen opened her mouth several times ? like a goldfish gasping for air ? she seemed shocked by this news, very over the top in Jack's opinion. He wondered what was going on that he didn't know about. Ianto seemed almost ashamed and proud at the same time.

"I'm going to go talk to Owen." Gwen finally announced, leaving to get out of the conversation, Jack guessed. Ianto winced but Jack assumed it was because Ianto had already sampled Owen's fowl mood once this morning.

"Ianto, want to get me up to date on the case file?" Jack said, taking a sip of his own coffee. God he'd missed Ianto's coffee.

"Sure." He nodded and they got to work. Only later would Jack realize that for the remainder of that afternoon Ianto was distracted and Gwen was quiet.

TWTWTWTWTWTW

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Meanwhile down the... Morgue

With Jack and Ianto occupied with work it meant Gwen could talk freely with the abnormally moody doctor.

"Anyone would think you?re pregnant, you.? Gwen began jovially.

"What?" Owen snapped out of his daze.

"Are. You. Pregnant.? Gwen enunciated.

"Gwen, I'm male. It's fucking impossible for me to get pregnant." Owen said as if she were stupid; or just incredibly slow.

"I know, Owen, but you're acting like me in my second trimester. Happy as sunshine one minutes and like a black cloud over Cardiff the next." He sent her a whithering glare, she smiled back at him. "So," she began casually. "I heard Jack popped round the flat last night."

"Yeah it was real cosy." Owen said smarmily.

"Oh really, then how come Ianto ended up on the sofa?" Gwen asked.

"I dunno, Gwen. How come you're such an interfering cow?" Owen responded in the same tone.

Not bothering to reply Gwen turned away and started up the stairs before turning around and giving him one piece of advice. "You can't afford to push him away, Owen. Jack's only here temporarily and, he'll be gone soon off travelling the universe with The Doctor. But the damage you inflict on your relationship; that'll stay. And you'll have to deal with it. Just... don't let it get to the point when saying sorry doesn't mean anything. Fix it, Owen."

TWTWTW

TWTWTW

TWTWTW

"So, what your saying is-"

Jack was interrupted by the beeping coming from Ianto's trousers. Looking pained and embarrassed, Ianto fished a pager out of his trouser pockets. Jack raised his eye brows and Ianto was concentrating on the small device he held. "I- It's Owen. He needs me, down in Archives."

Jack looked skeptical - Owen was in Archives? How likely was that! - and Gwen smiled when Ianto took the stairs down to archives.

"What was that about?? Jack asked.

"Oh, Owen was just taking some advice." Gwen said lightly.

"You advised Owen to go to Archives?" Jack said but Gwen didn?t answer, she just wore that irritatingly knowing smile as she sat down at the desk.

But Jack had been born with a curiosity that couldn't be squashed, that had motivated him to travel the galaxies. A stubborn Welsh-woman and a few flights of stairs weren't going to stop him now.

10 minutes later he sneaked away down to archives and then he saw?

OH.

Oh, he hadn't expected that. In all the scenarios he?d some up with over the years, this hadn't been one of them.

Ianto's jacket was strewn on the floor, discarded with an ease that was obviously not within Ianto's capability. His tie was... somewhere and his shirt was rumpled with three random buttons undone. Owen was pinning him against the wall, his thigh rubbing at the apex of Ianto's legs causing Ianto to make guttural familiar groans of pleasure.

"Fuck!" Ianto breathed into Owen's neck. Owen laughed.

"That's the general idea." He agreed and the gasped when Ianto sunk his teeth into the soft flesh of his lover's neck.

"You'll leave a mark," Owen manages to get out between panting.

"You never cared before." Ianto mumbles, his hand traveling down Owen's body to grip his erection.

"Jack's never been here before." Owen said on a low moan.

Ianto pauses - he hadn't expected that - then he continued to pump the other man. "That doesn't change anything." He said and while it was a dent in Jack's ego he was almost proud of the young Welshman, although he really wasn't sure he approved.

Jack left them to it. When Ianto reappeared over half an hour later he was well groomed and as cool and efficient as ever. It obviously wasn't the first time Owen and Ianto had fucked in the Hub or during work hours; something Ianto had always refrained from doing with Jack, always saying he thought 'office romances' were cheesy and sleazy.

"Where's your tie?" Jack asked as Ianto handed him another coffee. Ianto looked down at himself then back at Jack.

"I'm not wearing one." He replied.

"I realize that Ianto, but you were earlier." Jack pointed out.

"He hasn't!" Gwen said, sounding amused and scandalized. Ianto's face fell.

"He has."

Gwen rushed to the window just in time to see Myfanwy fly of with something turquoise and distinctly tie-like in her mouth.

"That's the twelfth tie that's happened to." Ianto said sadly.

"How'd it get there?" Jack asked, hoping Ianto would give something of himself away in his reply.

"Owen put it there." Ianto told him, Jack was taken back by his directness. "I know you saw us. Owen told me." Pause. "Afterwards."

"So, you're fucking Owen now." Jack said brightly. Gwen moved away, obviously uncomfortable with the direction in which the conversation was taking.

"If you like," admitted Ianto.

"I don't." Jack said harshly.

"I meant the terminology. Personally I prefer to say Owen and I are in an intimate relationship but 'fucking' certainly covers some of it." Jack looked darkly at his ex-lover. "You were gone for more than three years, Jack. So don't come back here to say goodbye and act like you have the right to judge me. You wouldn't even be here if it wasn't for the bloody alien."

"You're starting to sound like him." Jack noted.

"Well that?s what happened when you live with someone.? Ianto said.

Neither knew what to say to that. Luckily they were saved by Gwen who called up?Ianto! That was Tosh on the phone. She needs us to pick her up from the airport because Oliver?s going to Leeds.?

Ianto hesitated.

"Give her a kiss from me." Jack told him and Ianto nodded, grabbing a coat from the rack and heading out leaving Jack alone with Owen. It was time they had a talk.

"Owen." Jack said darkly with a glare.

"Jack." Owen said with a self-satisfied smug grin.

"Do you even know what you've done?" Jack said.

"Yep, I fucked the tea-boy." Owen said proudly, something dark and primal flaring up in his eyes.

"Is that what?s this about? Getting one over on the tea-boy?" Jack asked, disbelief and anger tainting his words.

Owen shook his head. "You don't get to sit there and preach. You've been gone a long time, Harkness, and you don't know what it's been like since you've been gone."

"I know Ianto. I know how he feels beneath me, the sounds he makes when you run your teeth over his jawline and the way his face looks during an orgasm. I know he's in love with you."

Owen stood still with shock. "No, he's not."

That gave everything away in Jack's book. "He wouldn't let you fuck him at work if he did't. He wouldn't let you share his life, his bed, and he most certainly would not let you kick him out in the middle of the night if he didn't love you."

Owen swallowed.

"Where is he?" He asked quietly.

"They left to pick up Toshiko from the airport." Jack told him gently. Owen nodded and leant against the wall. "Want some coffee?" Jack offered.

"Not if you're making it Harkness, I've tasted that rubbish you call coffee." He said with more humour than hate in his voice.

Jack smiled. "Used to the good stuff, eh?"

"Perk of shagging the tea boy!" Owen said with a small grin.

"You don't really think of him like that do you?" Jack asked, concern seeping through.

"Ianto Jones is Ianto Jones; he's Welsh, he's a tea-boy, he's enough to scare Janet when he's in a mood, and he makes beautiful sounds and I'm not talking about his fucking Welsh vowels. I've seen him cry, I've seen him laugh, I'm met his bloody mother and been punched by his bloody father. I stayed with him for fifty-seven hours in hospital three years ago and I pay half the rent on the flat. Does that answer your question, Harkness?" Owen said.

Jack nodded. He knew at this point he didn't have the right to probe any further. It wasn't his place any more.

TWTW

TWTW

TWTW

When the others returned Ianto was still mad at Jack. Gwen was fine though, her usual self, and Tosh was beaming. Her smile radiated joy and contentment. She was browned from the Japanese sun and wore a beautiful dark red dress, and her hair was down to her waste. She looked like a Geisha, except for the beautiful shiny gold ring which now encircled her third figure.

"Hello, gorgeous." Jack greeted as she threw herself into his arms.

"Oh!" She squealed with excitement. "Gwen said you were back but I was almost scared to believe it. I'm so glad I caught you before you left." She said.

"Leaving? I'm not going just yet."

"But Ianto said you've finished." Tosh said uncertainly, looking to her friend for confirmation. He nodded.

"The program is finished now. There's nothing left to do but say your goodbyes and go save the world." Ianto said. Jack nodded, understanding perfectly. With a smile he turned back to Tosh.

"Toshiko, I'm glad to have known you. And I am so glad you're happy now. You deserve it." Jack told her and with tears in her eyes she embraced him once more before stepping away.

"Gwen," he began warmly. ?I brought you in to teach us all to be human again and you have taught me so much more than that. Thank you.? Gwen smiled and kissed him on the cheek.

"Owen. You were once an arrogant irritating prick. Now you're probably still the same but it seems you've done something useful with your time and your affection. And I'm sorry for ever doubting you." Jack finally said, and Owen nodded. It was too long and too many hard words for them to hug but they understood each other and that was enough.

"Ianto Jones." Jack said, his face breaking into a smile. "You were such a surprise in every way. A survivor who managed to surpass himself with every word, with every breath. I will truly miss you. There will never be another you, not even if I live for a thousand years." Ianto's expression softened and he allowed himself to be pulled into a hug. Wow, this really was goodbye.

With tears in his eyes Captain Jack Harkness walked off into the distance with his coat billowing like a superhero's cape in the wind, watched by his four ex-team mate who all loved him in their own ways. Ianto escaped to make coffee and Owen, noticing he was gone followed. Gwen turned to Tosh and began talking Honeymoons and all was ok in the world of Torchwood.

"You gonna miss him?" Owen asked gruffly.

"I did miss him. I missed him so much I forgot to hate you. And upon forgetting to hate you I fell in love with you. Mock me all you want Owen, because I can't hide that from you."

"I don't expect you to." Owen said and brought his lips to Ianto's.

"I love you." Ianto said.

"Love you too. You git." Owen mumbled and Ianto broke out in a grin.

"Idiot." Ianto countered.

"Twat."

"Tosser."

"Tea-boy."

"Office slut."

"You love it."

"Yeah." Ianto admitted.

TWTWTW

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TWTWTW

AN: PLEASE COMMENT XXX This is my first ever Ianto/Owen fiction.


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